As always, the first thing I asked to see was his portfolio of work, and I was truly impressed. Check out this before-and-after of a big farmhouse kitchen renovation he recently did. The before was "okay" but really dated... But the "after" was incredible! There were too many good pictures to choose from, so here are several. We'll start with a wide-angle view: As you can see, lots of things were relocated, including the fridge. Check out the meticulous trim work on the cabinets and range hood. And the dated old wallpaper has disappeared - either removed or well painted over. He also does decks, like this mahogany beauty with all of the fasteners hidden: And dig the trim work on this staircase! Really nice. He has an aesthetic sense for good proportions which makes the difference between "so-so" and "outstanding" trim carpentry. Of course, we did our due diligence as we always do before we add someone to our network. His references from former clients were glowing. In particular, they mentioned his great communication skills, and the way he always left the job site clean after each day of work. (That's really important in a kitchen reno!)
Sam rounds out our amazing team of local Asheville trim carpenters, and I think his kitchen remodel is one of the most meticulous I've seen around here. I'm really proud to be working with such a great network of people. So if you've got a deck or kitchen project that needs a thorough and experienced craftsman, please get in touch with us. We'll put you in touch with the right person for the job. Sometimes you have a vision for a centerpiece in your home that can't be accomplished with out-of-the-box cabinets from the hardware store. When that happens you might think of having custom cabinets made. But custom can be expensive, so here's a trick to save money: ask about semi-custom cabinets. Today I'll show you an example of a semi-custom job and how well it turned out. It started with a phone call from local interior designer Liz Hackett. One of her clients, a couple living in West Asheville, loves to entertain and wanted to create a cocktail bar in their dining room. After meeting to look at the space and review the project budget, we determined that a semi-custom project would be the best choice. We started with these cabinets from Lowes... ...and then carefully considered them from all angles. They were very plain on the sides, and would look odd sticking out into the room like that, so we suggested adding end panels. Liz also wanted to incorporate a mini-fridge, so we designed an end panel to surround the fridge, too. Once the cabinet arrived at our workshop, we got busy building and attaching the panels. We also sourced custom pull-out drawers to make it easier to access the items in the cabinets. This is another advantage of semi-custom: the pull-outs wouldn't have worked in the stock cabinets. We had to add interior supports to attach them to. When we stepped back and snapped a photo, it looked a lot like our original drawing. (Except for the countertop, which was installed by another company.) Liz's clients were thrilled with the way it turned out, and tagged us in their story on Instagram. There are times when semi-custom cabinets won't work well. If the cabinet will be fit into a niche, it really does need to be custom built for the space, like on this project: Semi-custom works best when the cabinet will be free-standing, like a kitchen island... ...or placed up against the wall with three sides visible, like the dry bar we just showed off.
So if you've got a "custom" cabinet project, it may be possible to save a little on cost by doing a "semi custom" installation. All you have to do is click the big orange button and contact us to find out. One of our customers just moved to Asheville and bought a beautiful new luxury home on the banks of the French Broad river. But luxury is in the details, and in this case one or two details were missing. For example, the cabinets were very stylish, but when you opened them up, they just had a shelf inside. Things kept getting lost in the back, and you had to dig around for them. She had me replace the shelves with pull-out drawers. Now it's easy to see what's in the back. Something like this would be a really nice Mother's Day gift for your mom or spouse. No need for them to get down on their hands and knees on the hard tile floor every time they're looking for the dish soap. They can just pull the drawer out and it's right there in front of them. Plus, these are soft-close drawers, so the kids can't slam them shut, and nothing gets knocked over or jarred around. While I was there, I added another great little improvement: an extra cabinet and a valet rod in the laundry room. The rod is over the sink, so the homeowner can hang her handwashables here to dry and the excess water will just drip right down into the drain. If your laundry room is inefficient and hard to work in, give us a call. We can add counters, cabinets and drawer pull-outs to make washing clothes easy and maybe even fun. Like this pretty walnut counter which we installed over a customer's washer and dryer, so no more socks will get lost behind the machines. Plus, a good-looking laundry room adds a lot to your home value for a very modest investment. So give us a ring.
The other day I had an epiphany: it's not worth your time or money to try to fix a faucet. It all started because my bathroom faucet was acting up. First it clogged up so that less water came out when I turned it on. Of course I removed the aerator and cleaned out the grit that had accumulated there. But when I put it back together, I noticed water dripping behind the sink. Naturally as a handyman I messed with it for half an hour or more, shining flashlights into corners, tightening things, and bumping my head against the sink. (Ouch!) I never did find the source of the leak. My guess is that the back pressure caused by the clogged aerator ruptured a hidden seal. Or maybe the same grit that caused the clog caused a problem somewhere else. So I stopped by Lowe's and bought a replacement. The old faucet cost $25, but this time I splurged and spent $29 for something with style. It only took 15 minutes to swap out the new faucet for the old, and I have peace of mind because I doubt it will leak any time soon. I've tried to fix faucets for customers in the past and not had much luck. Sometimes I'm able to tighten them and stop the drip, but it usually starts dripping again later. I've known plumbers who had the same experience. Long story short: if your faucet drips, replace it. It's another example of spending money now to save money later. Because a second visit from a plumber is expensive, especially if the new leak has damaged your cabinets and floors. And if you need a handyman who pays attention to the bottom line, give us a call. Interior painting is one of my favorite jobs to do, because I can make such a difference in a room in a relatively short time. I recently finished a whole-house interior repaint in a beautiful Craftsman-style home that had a dated brown wall color all throughout the house: My customers chose a lighter color with more gray in it, and it gave the living room an airy and open feeling. (By the way, you may recognize the built-in entertainment center if you follow my other blog at Artisan Built-ins. I installed it last month.) Moving upstairs, the kids' playroom was a dull mossy green that made the space feel dark. Check out that before and after! That's not my camera playing tricks on you, as you can see if you compare the tone of the carpet in the two pictures. The new wall color reflects the light a lot better, which is helpful in a room like this with so little natural daylight. But I think the biggest change was in the master bathroom. The dreary brown did nothing to flatter the tile. What a difference a lighter tone makes! It ties in with the pretty marble sinks and bounces light all around the room. I also installed new medicine cabinets with cherrywood frames that make a nice statement against the pale gray. Now the room looks like a spa retreat where you can escape from the world. If your home has dingy or dated wall colors and you're ready for a change, give us a call to lighten up. We'll be glad to help you, because we love this stuff!
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